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History of METI
METI has a long history from the postwar years of recovery to the present day.
METI has been transforming itself to respond to the needs of the times.
METI has a history of responding to the changing needs of society. Therefore, its history is the history of Japan's progress.
In 1949, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry was reorganized and the Ministry of International Trade and Industry was established. Its internal subdivisions consisted of eight bureaus: Minister’s Secretariat, Trade Bureau, Trade Promotion Bureau, Enterprise Trade Bureau, Textile Trade Bureau, General Merchandise Trade Bureau, Machinery Trade Bureau, Chemical Trade Bureau, and Iron and Steel Trade Bureau.
In addition, four agencies, the Resources Agency, Small and Medium Enterprise Agency, Industrial Technology Agency, and Patent Office; eight regional trade and industry bureaus; and four regional coal bureaus were established as external subdivisions.
History surrounding METI | Year | History surrounding the world and Japan |
---|---|---|
Establishment of the Ministry of International Trade and Industry | 1949 | Adoption of the single exchange rate of 360 yen to the dollar |
Launch of People's Finance Corporation and the Council for Industrial Rationalization | ||
Mine Safety Law, Industrial Standardization Law | Tokyo, Nagoya, and Osaka Stock Exchanges were founded | |
Foreign Exchange and Foreign Trade Control Act | ||
Operation of Export Credit Insurance begins | 1950 | |
Establishment of Bank of Japan | ||
Commodity Exchange Law, Explosives Control Law | ||
Chamber of Commerce and Industry Law, Small and Medium Enterprise Credit Insurance Law | ||
First Rationalization Plan for the Iron and Steel Industry | 1951 | Signature of Treaty of Peace with Japan and the Japan-U.S. Security Treaty |
Establishment of Japan Development Bank | ||
Electric Power Development Promotion Law, Enterprise Rationalization Promotion Law | 1952 | Japan joins the International Monetary Fund (IMF) |
Inauguration of Japan Finance Corporation for Small and Medium Enterprise, Credit Guarantee Association Law | 1953 | |
Ordnance Manufacturing Act | ||
Gas Utility Industry Law | 1954 | |
Atomic Energy Basic Law | 1955 | Japan formally joins the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) |
Act on Temporary Measures concerning the rationalization of the Coal Mining Industry | Act on Temporary Measures concerning Coal Industry Rationalization | |
National Car Concept | ||
Second Rationalization Plan for the Iron and Steel Industry | 1956 | Japan joins the United Nations |
Law on the Prevention of Delay in the Payment of Subcontracting Charges and Related Matters | "The postwar period is over" (as expressed in the Economic White Paper) becomes a catchphrase | |
Act on Temporary Measures for the Promotion of Machine Industry | Signature of Japan-Soviet Joint Declaration, diplomatic normalization | |
Law on Temporary Measures for Textile Industry Equipment and Related Equipment | ||
Law on Temporary Measures for the Promotion of Electronics Industry | 1957 | |
Patent Law, Utility Model Law, Design Law, Trademark Law | 1959 | |
Liberalization Plan for Trade and Foreign Exchange | 1960 | The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) was founded |
Commerce and Industry Association Law | ||
Installment Sales Law, Electrical Appliance and Material Control (Safety) Law | 1961 | |
Household Goods Quality Labeling Act, Shopping District Promotion Association Law | 1962 | |
Law for the Development of New Residential Areas | ||
Small and Medium Enterprise Basic Law | 1963 | |
Industry Structure Council Launched | 1964 | Japan joins the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) |
Electricity Utilities Industry Law | Japan becomes an International Monetary Fund Article 8 nation | |
Law on the Promotion of the Development of Special Regions for Industrial Development | ||
Liberalization of import of finished vehicles | 1965 | Japan and South Korea sign the Treaty on Basic Relations between the two countries |
Basic Law for Environmental Pollution Control (abolished in 1993) | 1967 | The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) was founded |
The first stage of capital liberalization (liberalization of foreign direct investment to Japan) | The European Community (EC) is inaugurated | |
Basic Law on Consumer Protection, Air Pollution Control Law | 1968 | |
Japan-US textile negotiations started | 1970 | The Japan World Exposition is held |
Establishment of NIPPON STEEL CORPORATION | ||
Waste Disposal and Public Cleansing Law | ||
Water Pollution Control Law, Law on the Promotion of Subcontracting Small and Medium Enterprises | ||
Interim Report of Industrial Structure Council's "Creation of 1970s Vision" | 1971 | Dollar (Nixon) Shock |
Law on Temporary Measures for the Promotion of Specified Electronics Industries and Specified Machinery Industries | ||
Industrial Relocation Promotion Law | 1972 | Return of Okinawa, normalization of diplomatic relations between Japan and China |
Establishment of the Agency for Natural Resources and Energy | 1973 | First oil shock, Floating exchange rate system |
Petroleum Supply and Demand Adjustment Act, Consumer Product Safety Law | ||
Law on the Promotion of Small and Medium Retail Business | ||
Sunshine Project (R&D project on new energy) | 1974 | |
Oil Stockpiling Law | 1975 | The first summit was held |
Very Large-Scale Integrated Circuit Project | 1976 | |
Door-to-Door Sales Act (Specific Commercial Transactions Law) | ||
Moonlight Project (R&D project on energy saving) | 1978 | |
Law on Temporary Measures for the Promotion of Specified Machinery and Information Industries | ||
Law on Temporary Measures for Stabilization of Specified Depressed Industries | ||
Act on the Rational Use of Energy | 1979 | Second oil shock |
Industrial Structure Council's "Formulation of 1980s Vision" | 1980 | Japan becomes the world's top automobile producer |
Law concerning Promotion of the Development and Introduction of Alternative Energy | Daiei becomes the first retailer to achieve annual sales of over 1 trillion yen | |
Voluntary regulation of auto exports to U.S. begins | 1981 | |
Launch of Second Provisional Commission for Administrative Reform | ||
Law on Temporary Measures for the Structural Improvement of Specified Industries | 1983 | |
Telecommunications Business Act | ||
Law for the Facilitation of Research in Key Technologies | 1985 | Plaza Accord |
"Challenges and Prospects for Economic and Industrial Policy in the 21st Century" | 1986 | Maekawa Report |
1989 | Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) is inaugurated | |
Action Program to Arrest Global Warming | 1990 | Unification of East and West Germany |
Law for Promotion of Effective Utilization of Resources | 1991 | Collapse of the Soviet Union |
Signature of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change | 1992 | |
1993 | The Treaty on European Union comes into effect | |
Product Liability Act | 1994 | |
Containers and Packaging Recycling Law, Science and Technology Basic Law | 1995 | The World Trade Organization (WTO) is inaugurated |
1996 | Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) is inaugurated | |
Adoption of the Kyoto Protocol | 1997 | Asian Currency Crisis |
Law concerning the Measures by Large-Scale Retail Stores for Preservation of Living Environment | 1998 | |
Act on Improvement and Vitalization in City Centers | ||
Guideline of Measures to Global Warming | ||
Act on Special Measures for Industrial Revitalization, Civil Rehabilitation Act | 1999 | European single currency "euro" is born |
Basic Act on the Promotion of Core Manufacturing Technology | ||
Basic guideline for a global warming countermeasures | ||
Top Runner Program | ||
Basic Act for Establishing a Sound Material-Cycle Society, Alcohol Business Law | 2000 | |
Pollutant Release and Transfer Register (PRTR) System | ||
MITI was reorganized to the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) | 2001 | Reorganization of government ministries into 1 cabinet and 12 ministries |
Establishment of Research Institute of Economy, Trade and Industry(RIETI) | ||
The first Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) with Singapore goes into effect | 2002 | Nippon Keidanren is inaugurated |
End-of-Life Vehicles Recycling Law, Basic Act on Energy Policy Act | ||
Corporate Rehabilitation Law, Intellectual Property Basic Act | ||
Establishment of the Industrial Revitalization Corporation of Japan | 2003 | Japan filed the second largest number of international patent applications |
"New Industry Promotion Strategy" | 2004 | |
Kyoto Protocol Target Achievement Plan | 2005 | The Kyoto Protocol comes into effect |
The Monodzukuri Nippon Grand Award Awards begins | The first East Asia Summit (EAS) is held | |
Companies Act | Japan holds the Exposition of Global Harmony | |
"New Economic Growth Strategy", "Outline of Economic Growth Strategy" | 2006 | |
"Cool Earth 50" | 2007 | |
Act on Formation and Development of Regional Industrial Clusters through Promotion of Establishment of New Business Facilities, etc. | ||
"Cool Earth Promotion Program" | 2008 | Price of gasoline reaches a record high amid skyrocketing oil prices, |
Revision of New Economic Growth Strategy | Subprime crisis | |
Act on Promotion of Collaboration between Agriculture, Commerce, and Industry | ||
Development of Japan’s New Growth Strategy (Basic Policies) | 2009 | |
Eco-point system for home electric appliances | ||
Eco-car subsidy program | ||
Establishment of Innovation Network Corporation of Japan (INCJ) | ||
Industrial Structure Vision 2010 | 2010 | |
Japan’s New Growth Strategy, Three-Step Economic Measures for the Realization of the New Growth Strategy | ||
APEC Summit Meeting(Yokohama) | ||
Great East Japan Earthquake; Responses to the accident at TEPCO’s Fukushima Daiichi NPS; Response to the shortage of electric power supply; Dispatch of METI staff to disaster areas; Establishment of the Nuclear Damage Compensation Facilitation Corporation (NDF) | 2011 | |
Start of Feed-in Tariff Scheme for Renewable Energy | 2012 | |
Launch of negotiations for the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) | ||
Establishment of Cool Japan Fund Inc. | 2013 | |
Industrial Competitiveness Enhancement Act | ||
Launch of the Electricity System Reform | ||
Participation in the TPP Negotiations | ||
Adoption of the WTO Bali Package |